1. Reading and numeracy attainment of children reported to child protection services: a population record linkage study controlling for other adversities
- Author
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Merran Butler, Maina Kariuki, Fahkrul Islam, Vaughan J. Carr, Felicity Harris, Kristin R. Laurens, Claire M Essery, Marilyn Chilvers, Jill Schofield, Melissa J. Green, Sally Brinkman, Laurens, Kristin R, Islam, Fahkrul, Kariuki, Maina, Harris, Felicity, Chilvers, Marilyn, Butler, Merran, Schofield, Jill, Essery, Claire, Brinkman, Sally A, Carr, Vaughan J, and Green, Melissa J
- Subjects
Male ,Referral ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,Poison control ,Information Storage and Retrieval ,Literacy ,Developmental psychology ,educational support ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Numeracy ,030225 pediatrics ,childhood adversity ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,education ,Child ,out-of-home-care ,media_common ,education.field_of_study ,Academic Success ,Schools ,Child Protective Services ,05 social sciences ,Child development ,Educational attainment ,Minors ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,academic achievement ,Child protection ,Reading ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,Female ,New South Wales ,Psychology ,child maltreatment ,Mathematics ,050104 developmental & child psychology - Abstract
Background Maltreated children are at risk of poor educational outcomes, but also experience greater individual, family, and neighbourhood adversities that may obscure an understanding of relationships between child protection involvement and educational attainment. Objective To examine associations between child protection involvement and 3rd- and 5th-grade reading and numeracy attainment, while controlling multiple other adversities. Participants and Setting Participants were 56,860 Australian children and their parents from the New South Wales Child Development Study with linked multi-agency records. Methods Multinomial logistic regressions examined associations between level of child protection involvement (Out-Of-Home Care [OOHC] placement; substantiated Risk Of Significant Harm [ROSH]; unsubstantiated ROSH; non-ROSH; and no child protection report) and standardised tests of 3rd- and 5th-grade reading and numeracy. Fully adjusted models controlled demographic, pregnancy, birth, and parental factors, and early (kindergarten) developmental vulnerabilities on literacy and numeracy, and other developmental domains (social, emotional, physical, communication). Results All children with child protection reports were more likely to attain below average, and less likely to attain above average, 3rd- and 5th-grade reading and numeracy, including children with reports below the ROSH threshold. Children with substantiated ROSH reports who were not removed into care demonstrated the worst educational attainment, with some evidence of protective effects for children in OOHC. Conclusions A cross-agency response to supporting educational attainment for all children reported to child protection services is required, including targeted services for children in OOHC or with substantiated ROSH reports, and referral of vulnerable families (unsubstantiated and non-ROSH cases) to secondary service organisations (intermediate intervention).
- Published
- 2020